


Stay

by canthelpmyselves



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23405389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthelpmyselves/pseuds/canthelpmyselves
Summary: He knows it's a terrible idea. He knows it'll cause nothing but pain, for both of them. He picks up the phone anyway.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart
Comments: 20
Kudos: 154





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> I was at work, not even really paying attention to the music playing over the speakers because I’m not a big country music fan when suddenly, I was thinking about ColdFlash. I didn’t know the song playing, but part of it got stuck in my head. When I got home, I googled the lyrics I noticed, ‘ _so calm and so cool, yeah I try to be, like it don’t bother me_ ’ and then went to youtube to hear the whole song. The song is Stay A Little Longer by Brothers Osborne.

**‘Busy?’**

Len stared down at the screen of his phone and silently cursed himself even as he hit send. This wasn’t a good idea and he damn well knew it. The problem was, he was weak. He was tired and lonely and just… just so damn _weak_ when it came to Scarlet. 

**‘Usual place?’**

Len swallowed and closed his eyes, telling himself to not answer. He reminded himself of all the reasons this was a very, very bad idea. He was already in too far. Digging the hole deeper wasn’t smart. 

**‘Yes.’**

With a frustrated growl he tossed his phone down and dragged both hands down his face. Okay. He could do this. Just a visit. Two not-quite-enemies-not-quite-friends having a drink. Catching up. Simple.

He would use this opportunity to break things off. No more clandestine meetings. No more frantic (fantastic) sex. They weren’t good for one another. He was a killer. A thief. A god-damn mess. 

Scarlet was good. A hero. He deserved better than to be used like this.

Heaven only knew why he kept coming when Len called. What possible use could he really have for a 47 year old criminal who had betrayed him, hurt him, almost killed him? 

Len stood abruptly and stomped over to the desk. He grabbed the whiskey bottle and had two drinks poured just as there was a firm knock on the door. He took a deep breath and walked over to let the other man in. 

Just like it always did, that first sight of Barry made his body tighten with desire. He was wearing a navy blue v-neck t-shirt and light blue skinny jeans. His hair was wind-swept and he was smiling. 

“Hey,” he said in greeting. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you this visit.”

Len swallowed and stepped aside to let him in. “Got a little time before we leave on the next mission,” he said, keeping his voice cool and his expression clear with effort.

Barry walked over to the couch and sat down, curling one long leg under him. Len barely managed to suppress a shiver, knowing how well those legs could wrap around his waist. He walked over to the desk and grabbed the drinks, handing one off to Barry before sitting on the other end of the couch.

Barry nodded his head as he sipped the alcohol. They both knew it had no effect on him, but he had spent enough time at Saints over the years to have developed a fondness for a good whiskey. “So, how are the Legends?” he asked, shifting a bit to get comfortable.

Len shrugged as he laid his arm across the back of the couch. “Sara and Ava are visiting her dad. Ray and Haywood are at some convention. Mick went with them because there’s a free bar. Charlie and Constantine are who knows where doing god knows what.”

Barry nodded as he sipped again. “Lisa said you guys went to 1814 this last time. She was showing off the tiara you ‘acquired’.”

Len snorted. “She’s still mad at me for the whole death thing. I figured something shiny might make her smile.”

A flicker of hurt raced through Barry’s eyes but he pretended not to notice it. Knowing that Barry had grieved for him was one thing. Talking about it was something he was desperate to never do.

“Good call,” Barry joked. “She tried to make Cisco and Harry bow to her. Cisco gave in, of course.”

Len grinned at the picture in his head. It still seemed a bit surreal to him that his sister was friendly with Team Flash. He drank the last bit of his whiskey and set the glass down. As he straightened back up Barry leaned forward and Len was helpless to resist.

All his life he had been cold. Indifferent. He kept people at a distance. Even Lisa and Mick were only allowed so close. But with Barry, there were no walls. Every touch was a wildfire in his veins. Every kiss was a spark of electricity that energized him. Every brush of Barry’s skin against his was a drug. He was no better than an addict jonesing for his next fix.

Shirts were torn off and hands dragged across each other’s bodies, pulling, tugging, arranging. His mind emptied as his chest filled with warmth. His heart pumped frantically. His lungs greedily sucked in the scent of ozone and cinnamon. 

Neither man spoke, instead using their mouths to map out pleasure spots as he carefully but hastily opened Barry up. That initial push made his mouth drop open and fill the air with a shaky moan. Beneath him Barry gave an answering gasp, his hands clinging tightly to Len’s shoulders.

They moved in sync, never stuttering, never hesitant. They chased each other’s pleasure and their own as if it was a familiar, well traveled path. A touch in just the right spot. A kiss at just the right time. A shared look that sent them both to a higher plain. Those three little words he always pretended not to hear Barry whisper that never failed to tip him over the edge.

It didn’t matter how long it had been since they were last together. It never felt like they had to relearn each other. It was always glorious. It was always heady. It was always perfect.

It was always his own personal hell.

***

He poured himself another drink as Barry laced up his shoes. He downed half of it, then topped it back off, hoping the speedster wouldn’t notice his hand shaking.

“I better get home,” Barry said quietly behind him.

Len nodded and turned around, careful to keep his mask on. “Probably be a while before I’m back in Central,” he replied. 

Barry nodded, his eyes incapable of hiding his hurt. He put on that smile, the one Len hated because of how fake it was. “Well, I’m only a text away if you want to catch up.”

Len smirked at the unintentional pun. “No promises, kid.”

Barry nodded and walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind him. Len waited a full minute before dropping down onto the couch, still warm from the heat of their bodies. He gulped down the drink and carefully set the glass on the side table. He closed his eyes tight and pressed the heels of his palms into them.

“I love you, too,” he whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story in eighteen minutes and every single second hurt.


End file.
